New Delhi: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday hit out at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the NDA government's claims on development and asked why there were demands for granting a special status to Bihar if progress had been achieved there.

Lalu also gave indications that he was keen on going along with Congress to fight against the BJP-JD(U) combine in the next general elections.

"I am ready to do a sacrifice to keep opportunistic forces at bay. Congress is a secular party and I have never tried to blackmail it," he said.

On the future of RJD and other regional parties, Lalu said, "It is an era of regional parties and they have their dominance in UPA also."

Prasad said every politician wants to become the Prime Minister and asserted that his party is still relevant to the Centre, though it has not won many seats. "Everyone in politics desires to become the Prime Minister. In Delhi too only power is worshipped," Lalu said in reply to a question at the two-day programme 'Agenda-Aaj Tak' organised by the India Today Group in New Delhi.

Targeting Kumar, he said no other dispensation in the state had to face such stiff opposition from the public. Claiming that the development story of Bihar is nothing but a media creation, Lalu said, "The NRHM scam has taken place in Bihar. The roads in the state were constructed by the Central government and not by the state.Some media houses are giving undue credits to the Nitish government."

On Nitish demanding a special status for Bihar, he said the demand was first made by the Rabri Devi-led government. If Bihar has seen the kind of development as claimed by Nitish Kumar, then what is the need to give it a special status?" he asked.